The fifth instalment in Geographic North's Sketch for Winter tape series is arguably its biggest yet, thanks to Mark Van Hoen. On It's Not Me, the legendary producer of Locust and Black Hearted Brother fame delivers six experiments that all deliver highly evocative moods, harkening back to his early infatuation with tape recorders and analogue synthesis.
With its depressed female vocals and bit-crushed David Lynch-ian sound palette, the titular "It's Not You (In A Way)" could be confused for a Hey Mother Death track. "Xmas" has a bit of that sepia-toned Super 8 nostalgic wonderment one could hear in the early work of Bibio, while the employment of loping, lengthy delays on "Noise Blues" placed in a soft static context brings to mind Eno's late '70s ambient material — even if it's all rather cold and distant, perfectly capturing a wintry feel. When you hear the rumbling waves of distortion on "City Of Dust," it's just like trudging through a blustery snowstorm.
(Geographic North)With its depressed female vocals and bit-crushed David Lynch-ian sound palette, the titular "It's Not You (In A Way)" could be confused for a Hey Mother Death track. "Xmas" has a bit of that sepia-toned Super 8 nostalgic wonderment one could hear in the early work of Bibio, while the employment of loping, lengthy delays on "Noise Blues" placed in a soft static context brings to mind Eno's late '70s ambient material — even if it's all rather cold and distant, perfectly capturing a wintry feel. When you hear the rumbling waves of distortion on "City Of Dust," it's just like trudging through a blustery snowstorm.